Football Tips: Paddy traders’ ultimate Cheat Sheet of banker, long shot and Bet Builder punts

Bournemouth to beat Stoke

Some shrewd January signings have helped reinvigorate Bournemouth’s promotion push with Nat Phillips, Todd Cantwell and Siriki Dembele all going straight into Scott Parker’s starting team. The Cherries have won their last two matches and look a team on the rise who could challenge Fulham for the Championship title.

Stoke are heading in the other direction with a dispiriting home defeat to Luton last time out and now have slipped into the division’s bottom half. Given all of that, I’m more than happy to take Bournemouth.

Over 2.5 goals in Leeds v Tottenham

As with most games involving Leeds, this has the makings of an absolute thriller – the added beauty being Tottenham have no clue how to defend either! Spurs haven’t had a single clean sheet in their last 10 competitive matches.

They have failed to score in some recent games, but it has been against teams who keep a compact defence such as Burnley, Wolves and Chelsea. However, against Man City, Southampton and Leicester who like to leave a bit more space in behind they have had much more success scoring eight.

Harry Kane and Heung-min Son will be licking their lips at playing the Premier League’s worst defence. Leeds have conceded a whopping 16 goals in their last four games. All things considered a high-scoring game is almost a certainty here.

Ben Mee to Score Anytime in Palace v Burnley

After scoring in midweek against Tottenham, Ben Mee faces an ideal opportunity to his goal tally in what has been a relatively prolific season for this old school centre half. Mee is actually Burnley’s second-highest Premier League goal scorer with three, which tells you everything about why Burnley lie in relegation trouble.

However, in typical Sean Dyche fashion, the Clarets are finding their best form after being written off by most of the punditry class and will be targeting Crystal Palace at set pieces given no team in the Premier League has conceded more goals from dead balls than Patrick Vieira’s side.

Newcastle & Wolves both to win

Both Brentford v Newcastle and West Ham v Wolves should be enthralling encounters due to their significance in relation to the top four and relegation battles.

Both matches see sides with almost identical points per game. However, there is one crucial divisive factor: momentum! Since their lively January transfer window, Newcastle look far from relegation candidates having won three from four. Wolves are in the top-four race after five wins in their last seven.

On the flip side, their opponents are going through a bit of a slump. Brentford have just one point from their last seven, and West Ham have just one win in six Premier League matches. Surprisingly the teams with the momentum are underdogs in these fixtures making this a great value pick.

Marcos Alonso to be Carded

The logic here is fairly simple, no Chelsea player has accumulated more cards in the league than the Spaniard and he will be facing the most devastating right flank in world football in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah. Chelsea will be expected to defend in their half for long stretches and Salah could easily induce a rash tackle to see us win this leg of the Bet Builder.

Mo Salah to have 2 or more shots on target

Mo Salah looks like a man with a point to prove since his return from the African Cup of Nations. He has averaged over 2.5 shots on target per 90 mins in the five matches he’s played since his heading back to Merseyside.

Chelsea have badly missed Ben Chilwell at full back since his injury. His replacement Marcos Alonso is a wing-back known for his attacking prowess rather than his defensive capabilities and will struggle to contain Salah.

The Egyptian is coming into this fixture with plenty of confidence having scored two in his last game against Leeds. He also registered three shots on target when these sides met earlier in the season.